Convention / In Brief

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This article was published 09/03/2015 (4042 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Firefighters get behind Selinger

THE NDP leadership convention’s only theatrical moments came when the firefighters union, clad in distinctive yellow T-shirts, walked a few feet to throw their support behind Premier Greg Selinger.

The move came after Steve Ashton, who was endorsed by the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, was knocked off the ballot after the first round of voting. Moments after the results were announced, Health Minister Sharon Blady dragged some of the UFFW’s 20-plus delegates a few feet into Selinger’s camp.

It was a move that surprised many, including Oswald supporters, who believed the firefighters were committed to Oswald, not Selinger, on the second ballot. Several sources said the firefighters felt Oswald favours paramedics, with whom the firefighters have longstanding tensions.

“Greg has always been a supporter of firefighters and public safety,” United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg union president Alex Forrest. “Whenever we’ve had an issue in Manitoba I’ve always gone to Premier Selinger personally, and he’s always done a good job in ensuring that we have the resources for workplace, safety and health.”

 

Schmoozing, stress at convention

ON the night before Sunday’s NDP leadership vote, two of the contenders hosted hospitality suites, and all of the 1,500 delegates at Canad Inns Polo Park were invited.

Premier Greg Selinger and Theresa Oswald had rooms on opposite sides of the hotel, but delegates from both camps moved freely between them to schmooze, twist arms, talk shop and gobble kielbasa, pickles and cheese cubes. Visitors to both camps got a free beer. In another part of the hotel, NDP delegates from the north hosted a room for Steve Ashton.

Many in each leadership camp also complained of having colds; the lack of sleep, stress and being in close confines with other campaign workers all took a toll on health.

 

NDP elects new president

OVIDE Mercredi, a former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations and a staunch Greg Selinger supporter, became the new president of the Manitoba NDP after a vote Saturday.

Mercredi, 69, defeated two other candidates, including three-year incumbent Ellen Olfert.

He is the first indigenous person to be elected president of the Manitoba NDP. Mercredi’s candidacy caught most in the party by surprise when it was announced on Friday afternoon along with an endorsement by Selinger.

Some said it was unusual for a leader to publicly back a candidate for the party presidency, especially without any forewarning.

 

Voting-system decision deferred

THE Manitoba NDP has put off a decision on adopting a one-member, one-vote method for electing future party leaders.

Delegates attending the party’s annual convention Saturday supported a motion by Manitoba Federation of Labour president Kevin Rebeck to refer three resolutions on the issue to a committee.

Rebeck and several other delegates said it would be a mistake to decide the issue on the eve of a leadership vote using the delegate system, widely criticized as undemocratic.

“We’ve been going through a difficult time in our party and it’s been challenging and there’s been some lack of clarity, I think, on some rules. And we’ve worked hard to adjust that. I think there are some areas that need some attention and some work,” Rebeck said.

The NDP’s delegate system for choosing leaders has been widely criticized, within and outside the party, as undemocratic and concentrating too much power in the hands of organized labour.